Our Dreamers Team

Our Dreamers Team

Cheryl von Tress

Founder

ArtGivesLife was birthed from the passionate heart of Cheryl von Tress in the Spring of 2024.

Cheryl is a gifted creator. Her diverse artistic and creative pursuits encompass fine art, graphic design, music, writing, and needlework. A respected and published interior designer, she has rendered beautiful environments for homes and commercial spaces. She has been a small business developer and owner for several decades. She earned an Attorney Assistant Certificate from Sonoma State University, which led to her work in Family Law, Mediation, and Estate Planning.

Her passion for raising funds to help others stems from her empathy for victims.  Among her family and f

riends are 12 women and 35 children who have experienced domestic abuse of various kinds. Cheryl completed an intensive 15-month educational course with Give Her Wings, Inc. that informed her on assisting women who are trapped within, or who are in the process of leaving, abusive domestic relationships. She wants to be a voice of God’s compassionate heart and to speak against religious abuse against victims.

She is an ambassador and donor for a local nonprofit organization that  provides support services to survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and huma

n trafficking — sex and labor. Her philanthropic contributions extend to organizations across the U.S. and around the world, focused on rescuing survivors and restoring dignity and hope.

Cheryl gives a damn and invites you to join her and her team in  supporting transformational change and building public compassion.

Edna Vessey

Marketing Director

Edna Vessey grew up in a family of musicians, singers, artists, and inventors. She inherited this creative spark, and her spirit came alive in writing, home designing, inventing, acrylic painting, singing, and dancing. 

As a marketing strategist by profession, her artistry enhances her ability to think outside the box as she helps her business clients bring their visions into reality. Edna is the Founder of Verstorend Consulting, where she helps businesses flourish through improved marketing initiatives, product development, and project management.  

She is a published writer and holds professional credentials in Project Management, as well as a graduate degree in Business Administration and an undergraduate degree in Finance. Edna has always served the community she lives in by working with non-profit organizations that fight for the oppressed, from discrimination to underrepresentation, as well as victims of heinous abuse and violence.

Galen Wright

Brand Strategist

Galen Wright hails from San Francisco, where he served as Creative Director for McCann-Erickson, the world's largest advertising agency. He oversaw campaign development for Del Monte, Sega, Safeway, Bank of America, Nestle, and Coca-Cola, to name a few. 

Galen moved to Oregon to raise his family in the Rogue Valley and continued to create national campaigns for LG Electronics, Mitsubishi, local healthcare systems, and wineries.  

Galen has won numerous awards for his branding efforts for business start-ups and new product launches. He has harnessed his marketing skills to help the underprivileged, launching websites and social media campaigns for Sparrow Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, AMOR (building homes in Mexico), and Bridges of Hope & Bridges Academy (orphan housing and education) in South Africa.  

Galen is currently a freelance brand consultant and writer, with multiple dramatic series screenplays in development.

Sarah Homewood

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